The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 4.2 The noose
4.2
पराचः कामाननुयन्ति बालास् ते मृत्योर् यन्ति विततस्य पाशम् ।
अथ धीरा अमृतत्वं विदित्वा ध्रुवमध्रुवेष्विह न प्रार्थयन्ते parācaḥ kāmān anuyanti bālās te mṛtyor yanti vitatasya pāśam |
atha dhīrā amṛtatvaṃ viditvā dhruvam adhruveṣv iha na prārthayante
The line
Children follow desires that face outward. They go to the spread noose of death. The wise, having known the deathless, do not here pray for a steady thing among the unsteady.
नेपालीमा
बालकहरू बाहिर फर्केका इच्छा पछ्याउँछन् र मृत्युको फैलिएको पासोमा जान्छन्। अमर जानेका ज्ञानीहरू यहाँ अस्थिरमा स्थिर कुरा माग्दैनन्।
Where it sits
The noose is Yama (यम)'s. The wise want the steady that is not one of the unsteady objects.
Split: parācaḥ kāmān (पराचः कामान्) + anuyanti (अनुयन्ति) + bālāḥ (बालाः) + te (ते) + mṛtyoḥ (मृत्योः) + yanti (यन्ति) + vitatasya pāśam (विततस्य पाशम्) + atha dhīrāḥ (अथ धीराः) + amṛtatvam viditvā (अमृतत्वम् विदित्वा) + dhruvam (ध्रुवम्) + adhruveṣu (अध्रुवेषु) + iha na prārthayante (इह न प्रार्थयन्ते)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| parācaḥ kāmān (पराचः कामान्) | accusative plural | Outward desires. |
| anuyanti (अनुयन्ति) | present, plural | They follow. |
| bālāḥ (बालाः) | nominative plural | Children. Heard bālās (बालास्). |
| te (ते) | nominative plural | They. |
| mṛtyoḥ (मृत्योः) | genitive | Of death. Heard mṛtyor (मृत्योर्). |
| yanti (यन्ति) | present, plural | They go. |
| vitatasya pāśam (विततस्य पाशम्) | accusative | Into the spread noose. |
| atha dhīrāḥ (अथ धीराः) | but the wise | Heard atha dhīrā (अथ धीरा). |
| amṛtatvam viditvā (अमृतत्वम् विदित्वा) | having known deathlessness | Heard amṛtatvaṃ viditvā (अमृतत्वं विदित्वा). |
| dhruvam (ध्रुवम्) | accusative | The steady. Heard dhruvam (ध्रुवम्). |
| adhruveṣu (अध्रुवेषु) | locative plural | Among the unsteady. Heard adhruveṣv (अध्रुवेष्व्). |
| iha na prārthayante (इह न प्रार्थयन्ते) | here they do not pray for | Present, plural. |
The phrases
Children follow outward desires and walk into death's spread noose. The wise, having known deathlessness, do not pray for the steady among unsteady things.
Sanskrit in this line
Mṛtyoḥ yanti (मृत्योः यन्ति) is mṛtyor yanti (मृत्योर् यन्ति). Adhruveṣu iha (अध्रुवेषु इह) is adhruveṣv iha (अध्रुवेष्विह).
Say it back
Say what the children walk into.